I just got the game and I am very confused..I find the lack of examples makes it really hard to get at grips with the rules

.. so here's the question:

In the rules it says the character starts with a basic set of action cards, but how many and which ones?

e.g a magic user starts with a set of petty spells, again: which ones and how does he get these?

Does the character buy the action cards from his/her starting point and then can select which ever he/she wants?

You get ALL basic action cards for FREE, so long as you meet the prerequisite (f.ex. only wizards get basic petty spells and they get ALL of them for FREE). Note that Traits are NOT prerequisites, with the exception of Rank # (although you can buy those if you pay extra), and spells/blessings which require that you're a wizard/priest (and if they aren't basic, also requires the right College of magic/God).

Just a little note on the side: Alot of people miss this but wizards acquire 2 advanced skills for free "Channeling" and "Spellcraft". (p 42 in Tome of Mysteries). Note that they are only Acquired, NOT Trained. Priests on the other hand do NOT get their counterparts (curry favour and piety) for free though, so they must still pay to aquire their skills. Yeah it might seem unfair, but thats how it is (although i think it balances itself out since priests can use armor and don't have miscasts).

Freiduin said:

Just to clarify a priest does start with the action card Curry Favour . It's the advanced skills Invocation and Piety that they don't start with acquired.

darquebus said:

Agreed. Examples are very helpful - it would be nice if FFG added an official subforum for examples only (official detailed examples from combat to character creation and anything else in between).

Kaptain O said:

Ah yeah... ofc. Should be Invocaction and Piety, not Curry favour and Piety. That's what i get for not proofreading before posting i guess.

I figured you knew what you meant to say, but to someone confused already on what they start with it should probably be clarified.

Thanks for the info!

All cards, isn't that a lot, so I have to deal all cards of appropriate level to every player...uhm...are there enough (for how many players?)

darquebus said:

Each player gets the basic actions, so they all get:

• Melee Strike
• Ranged Shot
• Assess the Situation
• Guarded Position
• Perform a Stunt

Then, depending on the characters physical attributes they may get 1 or more of the active defences

• Block (TOU 3+)
• Parry (STR 3+)
• Dodge (AGI 3+)

If the character is a Wizards Apprentice he gets the following:

• Channel Power
• Magic Dart
• Counterspell
• Cantrip

If the character is an Initiate he gets:

• Curry Favour
• Minor Blessing
• Minor Ward
• Blessing of Health

Then the character can purchase 1-4 actions as a part of character gen...

Make sense?

In fact, it's easy to tell which cards are the basic cards that every player gets: There's three copies of them.

while we are on the subject are there any other cards that races / careers automaticly start with ? skills talents?

Mouseguard said:

Wizards Acquire Invocation and Piety (they are NOT trained however). (page 42, Tome of Mysteries).

As for Races. All races except Humans have different skills they get to choose for free. High Elves also get 1 Focus talent for free. The skills and focus talent info are all listed in the race info "squares" at the bottom of each page (pages 24-26, Roleplaying Rulebook).

Beyond that, i don't think there's anything else. It's mostly the wizard skills that people seem to forget about, since it's listed in another book (compared to character creation).

Freiduin said:

Actually Apprentice Wizards acquire Spellcraft and Channeling , the skills you mention are the ones an Initiate uses (although an Initiate must pay creation points or use advancements to acquire them).

Kaptain O said:

Ofc. Guess i really should get some sleep, my brain has apparently already checked out..

I have just bought the game and I'm trying to create my first character. OK so characteristics, basic starting gear etc all cost points etc, but when it comes down to action cards do I just pick the ones I want or do they have differing costs in creation points? I suppose the trade off is that the really good ones take ages to recharge or am I doing things wrong. I'd be grateful if someone could point me in the right direction.

Cheers,

Paddy

paddyb812 said:

For a Rank 1 character, Rank 1 Actions cost 1 point, Rank 2 Actions cost 2 points, and I'm not sure what Rank 3 Actions cost off the top of my head, but I don't think there are any at the minute, so it doesn't matter. For a Rank 2 character, Rank 2 and Rank 1 Actions both cost 1 point.

Also, there are cards you have to belong to a certain career to pick up... aka slayer, watcher. And I'm not entirely sure if Judgement cards can only be used by Witch Hunters or what, that's not clear.

Vaeron said:

This is not supported by the rules. The rules and the FAQ say that traits by themselves have no meaning, but are only there for other actions to refer to. There is currently nothing stopping anyone who meets the requirements listed on the card from using, for example, Troll-Feller Strike. There are people, myself included, who are house ruling the restriction you mention onto the cards, but it's not in the rules.